Really? I mean...there's nothing inept or incompetent about this cake...and, yes, the rendering of the baby is, indeed, adorable. But..but...it's just so...busy. The message gets lost in the galactic whirl.

OMG, that cake is from Wuollet?! My graduation cake was from Wuollet! We got cakes from them all the time! Had I but known the caliber of awesome of which they were capable, I would have asked for SO MUCH MORE.

Chiming in on the disappointment with this Sunday's Sweets; it's a pretty cool cake, but really, the grocery store down the street from me could have done it. Nothing spectacular.

Also, I have questions about the composition; why is Lord Vader crouching in the very bottom of the frame? Was the decorator too intimidated to portray his full length, or even a reasonable portrait from the waist up? All he's got is a head and two hands creeping round the baby. It would have been 1000% awesome (and worthy of Sunday) if it had at least been a sort of Madonna-and-child pose.

Usually I'm so with you on your Sunday Sweets post, but tell me that you're being tongue-in-cheek! The colours, they hurt my eyes! And what parent wants Darth Vader holding their child, anyway? Isn't that just a bad omen for the future?

If my husband had been involved in my baby shower, this would have been my cake. Having a hubby a little obsessed with Star Wars has given me a Star Wars themed wedding (musically) and a battle over giving my second daughter the middle name "Chewbacca", no joke.

I must respectfully disagree here. You are excused, because we are aware of your obsession w/DV. I think that his mere presence on the cake has held you in thrall; indeed, has blinded you to all else: the indifferent and uneven ruffle border, the odd little white snake outlining the lettering, the weird border-within-a-border pink squiggle thing. Shudder. I will say, the baby face is cute, but if a regular old person were holding the kid, you'd have piled on the wrecky derision w/glee. Admit it! :D

Don't listen to the nay-sayers; this cake is pure Sunday-Sweets awesomeness! Hasn't everyone been complaining that there are too many fondant Sunday Sweets? The only thing that could have made this cake better is if it were for TWINS

This is an AWESOME post, however, not a Sunday Sweet. In my opinion, anyway =D I actually thought you had just posted it and had forgotten that it was Sunday, but you did in fact tag it as a Sunday Sweet.

If I ever have a baby girl, or really, just another baby, I'd love to have this cake. My boys both think this cake rules the galaxies- one is a StarWars freak and the other is a future NASA employee and Mars colonizer, so this cake has something for both. Heck, they just want this cake for themselves. That cute lil baby could certainly turn Vader back to the Light Side of the Force.

Some people would feel about this cake the way you feel about the camo cake with deer head toppers.

I can imagine a mirror-universe Cake Wrecks blog where the car off-roading up the wedding cake was a Sunday Sweet, while Darth Vader holding a baby with sprinkles and planets in the background is a much derided wreck.

I'm glad to be in your universe. A baby would look really stupid with a goatee.

I love it! All these people asking what happened to Sunday Sweets...hello you're looking at it in all it's out of this world glory! I agree that it could only be made better by a "I am your father" quote. And the ruffle orber freakin awesome I want to know how to do that, it looks like double ruffle ribbon!

Ok, so here's the story behind the cake.This cake actually was inspired by a wreck which was, sadly, not captured on film.

A few years ago, my mom called up wuollet (my favorite bakery) to order a cake for my bridal shower; she asked for a simple sheet cake with blue flowers that said 'Congratulations Erica'. We have been ordering all of our cakes from this bakery for almost 20 years with no problems whatsoever, so my mom was absolutely shocked when she arrived at the bakery to see a cake with a big, black, frosted Darth Vader on it with 'Congratulations Erica' in red writing. No offense to Star Wars fans, but I myself have never gotten into Star Wars (although my husband is a huge fan) We unfortunately do not have a photo of this cake as my mom was in a rush and made the bakery scrape off the frosting and re-decorate the cake. This cakewreck story became infamous amongst my family and friends, and so when it came time a few years later to order my baby shower cake, my mom decided it would be funny to order a cake with a darth vader holding a baby in homage to the bridal shower cake disaster.

For the record, I HATE everything about Star Wars, but my husband and FIVE sons, LOVE it. If we ever have a girl, this cake would ROCK at a shower. Too cool.

That having been said, I totally agree with Flartus: "Really? I mean...there's nothing inept or incompetent about this cake...and, yes, the rendering of the baby is, indeed, adorable. But..but...it's just so...busy. The message gets lost in the galactic whirl."

Can't agree with you on this one. I think it's hideous. Who would ever let Darth Vader, the "force" of evil hold their darling baby girl. And the cake, even with the air brushing, looks amateurish to me. Looks like something I would do, sans Vader, and I make really ugly cakes.

My mouth is watering thinking about Wuollet Bakery. I have to drive my daughter from school in St. Paul through Mpls at breakneck speed during rush hour (not an easy task) so we can stop at the Robbinsdale location before organ lessons. Yummy! Great cake and I think worthy of Sunday Sweets. Loved hearing the story behind it, thanks Erica.

You know, I think this cake is more of a wreck. It's too busy, and it just looks kind of bad overall. Honestly, I think this cake would've been in the wreck pile if not for the fact that it had Darth Vader on it. Favoritism much?

Quote rosIt's all in the eye of the beholder, I guess. I'd have that one down as a serious wreck.

OH ros...an eye of the beholder cake...now that would be a wreck have you seen a picture of a beholder?!?!?!? (D&D fans I bow as you applaud, and for those of you who have NO idea what i'm saying http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beholder seeee I know...total wrecky fail)

As for this cake my DH and I love it...my dh said "didn't you say a lady ran this blog?" I said well yeah, then he says "OMG she's more of a nerd than me...AWESOME!!!" I have another cakewreck convert!

Totally disappointed. My 6 yr old looking over my shoulder, on the other hand said "Wow! That must be when Darth met Leia the first time. See...he's not all bad, Mom. He loves his kids."*sigh* Hoping for something better next week.

So very ugly. Sorry, Jen. Your Sunday sweets are usually works of awesomeness (behold last week's dragons). The best thing I can say about this cake is that the punctuation is correct. Beyond that, it's wrecktastic.

While I can understand the admiration for a baby shower cake themed as such- I don't think it qualifies as a Sunday Sweet. The airbrushing is decent, but not great, the sprinkles make it look too busy, and the white base board blends too well with the white trim. Not to mention that Darth Vader looks like he is about to drop the baby down a garbage chute- creepy.

This is the Sunday Sweet? Methinks Jen celebrated a bit too much at the pre-Superbowl party! To me this looks like something a grocery store bakery trainee would make to show off their "talents" at using every type of cake embellishment possible. Though now that Erica has posted the story behind the cake, it does indeed work as a creepy/gag cake.

I can't help but giggle at the apparent sense of entitlement that people have. They are just -so- disappointed in you, Jen. And more than half of them are -so- disappointed, they don't even have the guts to sign their names. It's terrible, truly. How dare you post something not up to their standards? Pfft.

I love this cake. Is it busy? Yes. Does it make no sense? Yes. Is it -bad-? No.

I don't like the color some folks paint their houses, but you don't see me telling them I'm disappointed in 'em. Their house. Your blog. Same deal.

OMW...you should SEE some of the awesome window displays Wuollets has in their Grand Ave./St. Paul location at Christmas time...incredible. Not to mention that everything they make in that wonderful place tastes incredible.

Um, it's...cute and everything, but I must admit I am disappointed in today's Sundays Sweets. Usually you have multiple awesome cakes that astound and amaze. Today's cake didn't even have tiers! Just a sheet cake. And acceptable airbrushing. And Darth Vader holding a baby. But their weren't any tiers, and there was only one cake.

And all day I have wanted cake with lots of gooshy icing roses because (cue whine) I had pneumonia for my birthday and didn't have a cake and I'm still quarantined and I can't go out to get one and spouse is about to have surgery so I won't have a chance to get one before his surgery and dang, I want some sprinkles, too. (/whine and run-on sentence)

there sure are a lot of haters on the internet!this cake is awesome. i LIKE that its busy... what the h is wrong with busy? you immediately read the meesage (which is the point, normally.. and with proper grammer) and the picture is just great, especially considering the back story provided in the comments.

all the people it was intended for loved it. all the haters (and supposed cake composition experts) well.. have come on here and given their lame little 'oh how uninspired' comments.

well, the haters are wrong. look at how much comment it has stirred up! some people are just annoyed that something they dont get can make other people leap up and say 'awesome!' (which, incidentally, was my reaction)

Really, comparing Dick Cheney holding a baby to Darth Vader holding a baby? C'mon, that's a little much.Now we're ignoring the entire CAKE... really guys, so some of us don't think the cake is the greatest. OBVIOUSLY, there are quite a few people who do. We can disagree on cake. But can we leave politics out of the Darth Vader cake?

This is one of my new faves. Some people are just so hyper critical. Silliness! If you don't like it, make your OWN cake wreck blog and get thousands of fans AND t-shirts. Til then, appreciate the different cakes! I liked the Darth Vader detour.

Erica,Did you choose the same style lettering from the "It A Gril" cake on purpose? If so, that's even better. Especially with the sprinkles, since then it would be a response to 3 different wrecks (your own Darth Vader cake, It A Gril, and I Want Sprinkles)!

I actually consumed a slice of this actual cake! The praise for Wuollet's bakery is much deserved. Jen, thank you so much for posting it! And of course thanks to Erica and her husband for getting pregnant with the baby that made it all possible... (and if you want the backstory, read Erica's comment about halfway thru...)

Wow, what a bunch of crybabies reading this blog. Seriously, I think this is a fun cake that was well-made and doesn't have the components necessary to make it a wreck. Sure, it's a bit busy, but it doesn't really take away from the cake at all.

If I have a girl when I start having kids, I so want a cake like this. :)

John,Is Jen Okay? I think some people take blogs too seriously! This is Jen's blog, right? I don't think anyone overpaid for the "Sunday Sweets". I love this blog and Jen can put up whatever Jen wants! She is kind enough to let us all see it, and this is what happens?!Thank you, Jen (and John)! Love the blog! I read every day and now my kids join me. I'm addicted. We walked into the grocery store yesterday and straight to the Super Bowl cakes to look for a Wreck! -Susie

I can't help but giggle at the apparent sense of entitlement that people have. They are just -so- disappointed in you, Jen. And more than half of them are -so- disappointed, they don't even have the guts to sign their names. It's terrible, truly. How dare you post something not up to their standards? Pfft.

I love this cake. Is it busy? Yes. Does it make no sense? Yes. Is it -bad-? No.

I don't like the color some folks paint their houses, but you don't see me telling them I'm disappointed in 'em. Their house. Your blog. Same deal.

Much, much love for the Vader.

---------------^IAWTC^

If I may abuse an oldies song, it's Jen's party and she'll post-The-Vader-Ate-Yer-BayBee cakes if she wants to, you would post too if it happened to yoooou ... and if not, at least have the courtesy to sign your name instead of anonytrolling.

And, in conclusion, I STILL LOVE THIS CAKE :D And have been craving a slice of good old fashioned sheet cake with buttercream all day ... darn my car being in the shop!

Ah, are you not doing Sunday Sweets anymore? Just kidding, lol, but that definitely strikes me as a wreck more than a sweet! The juxtaposition of the baby, Darth Vader, and the sparkly pink universe in the background is just wreckily hilarious to me... :)

I seriously want to get pregnant ONLY to have this cake at my shower. I will put the baby up for adoption (maybe by some intergalactic specie) since we do not have any more room. ButI musthavethiscake.

I must get this cake for my best friend when she has kids! Sure, she doesn't live in MN, but I do, and she would come up for that! She's a total Star Wars freak, and in love with Vader--she even made me watch all 6 in one night once! Personally, I'm not a fan of movies in space...but I like the idea of a character holding a baby...Now, how can I work LotR into it for MY baby shower? (Which shall not happen for a very, very long time!)

Now I'm confused. This cake is a Sunday Sweet, but some of the awesomely done cakes from the Redneck post are wrecks? Sorry, that doesn't work for me. I know this is your blog and you can post what you want to, but this site is quickly turning into 'Does Jen Like the Cake' instead of 'Cake Wrecks'.

I believe this is to Star Wars fans what the Deer-Headed cake is to hunting fans... the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I, too, am a Star Wars fan - and LOVE Star Trek - but find the idea of Vader holding the baby a teeny bit creepy (is he planning to interrogate her?). Spock on the other hand, thumbs up - can't wait to see it - if it's out there. This one is an odd selection for Sunday Sweets, but I get why it's here from a fan standpoint.

My friend sent me an email with a link to this blog because she saw the cake and thought of me. This site rocks, and I wish I had this cake when my daughter was born. Total awesomeness! Thanks for sharing. And MTFBWY!

I love your site but you can be so bias! TRY telling me if this cake had someone besides Darth Vader on it that you would not throw it right into the Wreck pile! AND as a Sunday Sweet?! Not even close!

This is not the quality of a Sunday Sweet I have come to know and love from this site. This is a clear wreck, and I'm a Star Wars fan. I agree with the previous poster that the "wreck" redneck cakes you presented earlier in the week were better.

Also note that Darth Vadar is holding the child in a totally awkward fashion. The baby looks like it's going to be dumped forward any moment. Then again, Vadar was never a very good parent.

I think this cake is cute and amusing, but I do not understand why it is considered a Sunday Sweet when the "redneck" cakes were considered wrecks. The "redneck" cakes did have a generally unpopular cultural focus (hunting), but they were well-made cakes and they weren't THAT bad. After giving the Darth Vader cake a MUCH closer look and reading what you liked about it, the cake did grow on me and I now appreciate it. However, I won't lie...my first thought upon glancing was, "WRECK!"

Awesome! My husband carefully picked out which Star Wars t-shirt he would wear to welcome our daughters into the world... he would've killed for THAT cake! :)I love it! Not enough to have another baby... but I still love it a lot!

This is not the quality of a Sunday Sweet I have come to know and love from this site. This is a clear wreck, and I'm a Star Wars fan. I agree with the previous poster that the "wreck" redneck cakes you presented earlier in the week were better.

Also note that Darth Vadar is holding the child in a totally awkward fashion. The baby looks like it's going to be dumped forward any moment. Then again, Vadar was never a very good parent.===================================

Anyone claiming to be a Star Wars fan but can't spell Vader correctly is a liar. You are obviously a redneck in disguise trying to promote your pro-hunting agenda.

Haha, Holly, I was thinking the same thing! It's FICTION (on a cake), people, get a grip. It's not like it's Hitler or something. Besides which, there are many people who enjoy dark and humorous over traditional and clichéd.

Anyway, I think the cake is rad, and I think it's hella sweet that there are a lot of women expressing their admiration. From one sci-fi nerdgirl to all the others: Live long and prosper! Ladies who don't like it, kindly take your stereotypes and gender bias and shove 'em. There are more of us than you think, and we're really happy being us

Oh my gosh, my son and I stood there staring that "girl's" baby shower cake laughing for about 2 minutes. Then I started making my way through some of the favorites cakes. Laughed myself to tears. I can't take any more.

A cake decorator friend of mine made me a cake for my baby shower that said "The Force is strong with this one"...had a baby in the center and Star Wars characters all over. I'm a HUGE SW fan (I'm a stormtrooper in a largest SW costuming club) so this was an awesome treat. Glad to see others following suit! :)

This is my favorite sweet. You can see awesome cakes all over the internet that are perfect, pretty, and tiered (an apparent necessity) but its fun to see a cake that's just damn awesome for none of those reasons. I find it amusing to read the comments of the "dissapointeds" I mean seriously, even if it is favoritism of whatever, hey guys it's her blog it's her deal. I think it's a cool and fun cake (I totally die for a Spock one though)

Oh for heavens sake. It's JUST A CAKE not the bl**dy Mona Lisa. Have a BIG reality check. It's kooky and fun and not likely to be put in the Louvre any time soon; you'll be quoting a la "comic book guy" about what's missing from Darth Vader's costume and frothing at the mouth and missing the point entirely. When a client comes in and wants a design, who the hell are you to nay say it if you want the business; as crass as it may be?It made me laugh and feel good and isn't that what cake is supposed to do? Make you feel good?All those nay sayers need to get out into the fresh air more and check their reality meters.

You would have to eat this cake carefully. You couldn't use a knife or a spoon you would have to use (drum roll) THE FORKS! (wah wah waaaaaaahhhh!)

I realize this post was done over a year ago, but I just wanted to come back and relive it. Plus, I am now expecting my very own baby girl, and I'm trying to figure out how to either get my friends to recreate this cake for me, or do it myself, but I must have this cake!Still the best baby shower cake evah!

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A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.

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